Anton Chekhov's Swan Song [1887] was one of his early plays. In it are but two characters: Vasili Svietlovidoff, a 68 year old comic actor and Nikita Ivanich, who is an even older man, the theater's prompter. Following a benefit evening in his honor, unbeknownst to everyone, the comic actor Svetlovidov falls asleep in a drunken blur. When he awakens, the theater is dark and empty. He falls quickly into saddened monologue...

The play opens with Chekhov's stage directions: The scene is laid on the stage of a country theatre, at night, after the play. To the right a row of rough, unpainted doors leading into the dressing-rooms. To the left and in the background the stage is encumbered with all sorts of rubbish. In the middle of the stage is an overturned stool.

This translation, by Marian Fell, was published in 1912; her text is in the public domain. This is a complete recording of all of the text in the book published in 1912 by Charles Scribner's Sons, including Marian Fell's "Introduction."

19:35 • Swan Song
16:28 • Introduction

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